LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - At least 60 people died and 50 were injured Saturday in a fire in a historic commercial district in Lima, firefighters said.
Firefighters said the fire was sparked by an explosion in a fireworks store and had destroyed at least three buildings. Radio reports said the fire was still burning and numerous people were trapped on rooftops.
``We have 440 firefighters working; this is horrible. There are some 60 dead in the road and we don't know how many more inside,'' Tulio Nicolini, chief of Peru's firefighters, told reporters.
The official asked for assistance from firefighters from other parts of Lima due to water restrictions in the area surrounding the blaze.
The historical center of Lima, the seaside capital of this poor nation with a population of some 8 million people, has been designated a world heritage area by the United Nations.